On May 25, 2008, following an 18-month political standoff between various Lebanese factions and a brush with civil war between the Sunnis and the Shiʿites two weeks earlier, a new president was elected. in Lebanon. Gen. Michel Suleiman, who was considered a consensus candidate, won 118 of the 128 parliamentary votes. The election of a new president was made possible by the Qatari-brokered Doha accord, which entailed important concessions on the part of the pro-Saudi, pro-Western Sunni-dominated government whereby the majority consented to turn a blind eye toward Hezbollah arms stockpiles and agreed to give veto power to the opposition. They also gave the Christian opposition, through a reenactment of the 1960 electoral law, the political strength to elect their own representatives without the need to enlist the votes of the Muslims. Ironically, the Christian opposition (led by Gen. Michel Aoun) cemented its alliance with the Hezbollah-Iran-Syria axis, while the Christian loyalists continued to be part of the March 14 movement, which comprised political organizations—including the Future Movement (led by Sunni leader Saad al-Hariri)—opposed to a Syrian presence in Lebanon and which had good relations with Saudi Arabia and the U.S.

Gen. Michel Suleiman was sworn in as president of Lebanon on May 25, 2008.

Hussein Malla/AP

After the cabinet tried in March to assert its authority in security affairs, Hezbollah launched a militia-type attack in Beirut on the Future Movement offices and strongholds. The clashes ended with Hezbollah having the upper hand and the army standing idle. This was reflected later in the political arena when Hezbollah secured veto power in the cabinet and effectively controlled all major decisions. In August, Israel threatened to target “the entire Lebanese state, including Lebanese cities” in another war if greater legitimacy was given to Hezbollah. Nevertheless, a month earlier Israel and Hezbollah had participated in a prisoner-of-war exchange.

The security situation remained unstable, especially in the north of the country. Though Syria hinted at a possible military intervention in that area, major powers, including the U.S. and France, warned against any such move. A visit in August by President Suleiman to Damascus resulted in an agreement to establish diplomatic relations between the two countries. All other outstanding issues (i.e., political, economic, border demarcations, and humanitarian relations) were referred to joint committees. Syria was expected to regain part of its influence in Lebanon owing to the West’s recognition of its regional role. Suleiman also visited the UN and Washington, D.C., but he was disappointed that Washington did not give a definite promise to rearm the Lebanese army with technologically advanced weapons, which would keep Hezbollah in a more powerful position than the army.

The political bickering took a heavy toll on the Lebanese economy. The gross national debt reached $43.2 billion after the first quarter of the year. The economy also relied more heavily on remittances from Lebanese working in the Arab Gulf states, Africa, or the U.S. The balance of trade was negatively affected because of the international rise in the prices of imported food and oil. In addition, the gap in electricity production and subsidies to this economically and politically important sector drained $2 billion annually from the Lebanese budget. On the positive side, the summer season proved very good for the economy. About 1.6 million visitors arrived in Lebanon; hotel occupancy rates neared 100%; and tourism was expected to generate $4.43 billion in direct and indirect revenue. There was a 26% rise in construction activity, but inflation pushed the government to increase the minimum wage by two-thirds. Lebanon, however, was one of the few countries that was not negatively affected by the worldwide financial crisis that occurred in October 2008.

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